Doctor Who

I like how on the Wii cover, it looks like Matt is trying to steal the "Return to Earth" title. :lol:
 
saw this yesterday and it seems like the makers of Doctor Who have gone down the path of recent Top Gear shows.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Steven Moffat has announced that the next series of Doctor Who will be split in two with a 'gamechanging' cliffhanger in episode 7.

"The split series is hugely exciting because viewers will be treated to two premieres, two finales and more event episodes. For the kids it will never be more than a few months to the next Doctor Who! Easter, Autumn, Christmas!!"

The BBC press office describe the split transmission as the result of a request from Steven Moffat to write a new Doctor Who story arc which involves a big plot twist in the middle of the series. "By splitting the series Moffat plans to give viewers one of the most exciting Doctor Who cliffhangers and plot twists ever, leaving them waiting, on the edge of their seats, until the autumn to find out what happens."
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the fan base seems to mostly mixed (as always) with their opinion on this. some believe that this is because Moffat wasn't able to handle the pressure of running a show for a year. They are pointing at the 3 episode season one of Sherlock for this. others are saying this is because of the BBC making cost cuts and that a split season would be cheaper to make.
personally, as long as it doesn't affect the quality of the show i couldn't give a smeg and if it helps me with withdrawl symptoms while the Doctor is off the air, i'm all for it.
 
How many episodes per season will there be though? Will it be split like Top Gear?
 
Topgearfanatic said:
How many episodes per season will there be though? Will it be split like Top Gear?
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it'll be split much like Top Gear, 7 in the first half and then 6 in the second half. here's the full story at the Guardian.

The new series of Doctor Who will be split into two for the first time, with its showrunner, Steven Moffat, promising the show's biggest ever cliffhanger ? "an earth-shattering climax". Next year's 13-part series, the sixth since Doctor Who returned in 2005, will run for seven episodes and then return in the autumn for another six. Moffat said the "mid-season finale" would be a "game-changing cliffhanger". He added that next year's Doctor Who would run as two separate series, allowing him to double the number of "event episodes" in the new run, and meant fans would never be more than a few months away from the next instalment of the hit BBC1 show.

"Looking at the next series I thought what this show needs is a big event in the middle," Moffat told the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. "I kept referring to a mid-season finale. So we are going to make it two series ? seven episodes at Easter building to an earth-shattering climax, a cliffhanger we could never normally do because it would be too long before it came back. An enormous game-changing cliffhanger that will change everything. The wrong expression would be to say we are splitting it in two. We are making it two separate series. What I love about this idea is that when kids see Doctor Who go off the air, they will be noticeably taller when it comes back. It's an age for children. With an Easter series, an autumn series and a Christmas special, you are never going to be more than few months from the new series of Doctor Who. "Tart that I am, we will now have two first nights and two finales, twice as many event episodes as we had before."

Moffat, who was also responsible for BBC1's acclaimed updating of Sherlock Holmes, took over stewardship of Doctor Who from Russell T Davies last year. His first series in charge was acclaimed by viewers and critics alike. Moffat gave festival delegates a first glimpse of this year's Christmas special, guest-starring Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins. Moffat said he chose Matt Smith as his Doctor on the very first day of casting. "He has that air about him, he's like a young man built by old men from memory," he added.

He first saw Karen Gillan, who plays the doctor's assistant Amy Pond, on video and was worried that she was "wee and dumpy". When he met her, he said, he was "expecting a beachball and met this giant flame-haired goddess who is slightly too tall for my comfort. Standing next to her when she has heels on, you feel like the sidecar of a motorbike". Moffat dismissed some press criticism, early in this year's series, that Amy Pond was "too sexy". "That's like being too funny, too nice, too enjoyable," said Moffat. "I was roaring with laughter at the article in the Daily Mail, which said when did Doctor Who assistants have to be sexy. Since the beginning! There was one in a leather bikini ? we're in the nursery compared to that."

Moffat said the show's budget had remained broadly similar despite BBC cuts. But he admitted: "I don't understand numbers. It's a decent budget. I beg for money and more rubber green people and eventually they say OK, you can have a third rubber green person." He added that he had not considered a female Doctor, which he said would not have been appropriate at this time in the show's history. "No we didn't. I think about it sometimes and maybe it will happen someday. It wouldn't have been right this time," he said. "A woman can play the part. You have to remember the single most important thing about regeneration is you must convince the audience and the children that's it's not a new man, it's not a different man, it's the same one. It's a bigger ask if you turn him into a woman." Discussing his future, Moffat said he would not be leaving the show "for a while yet".

Gillan, in the same TV festival sessions, said she was committed to the show for the new series. She added that filming on the show, which lasts 11 days a fortnight for nine months, meant she was unable to work on any other projects. As for her future, she said she was committed to the new series but was taking it one season at a time. "I have no idea. You just have to take it series by series, you can't really look beyond that so who knows? I'm having fun right now," she added.
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original article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/29/doctor-who-cliffhanger-series-split

on a slightly different note, i heard about this the other day but wasn't too sure about how credible it was. especially given the limbo status of the film in question.
Sylvester McCoy has enjoyed a return to his home town of Dunoon in his role as this year?s Chieftain at Cowal Highland Gathering, first reported here. He told the local paper, the Argyllshire Standard, that he is in talks for a major role in the upcoming feature film The Hobbit which is due to start filming in 2011. "I am being cast in The Hobbit," he told the paper, "We're currently in negotiations - there are two of us under consideration. It's not the Bilbo role, but could be bigger."
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original article: http://www.dunoon-observer.com/inde...chieftain-confirms-exciting-new-role="_blank"
 
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for those who didn't get to see this years Doctor Who at the Proms

[video=youtube;rjwkm-EU_30]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjwkm-EU_30[/video]

 
Its not brilliant - would have been a lot better if they'd used cut outs of video rather than photos. It shows when the heads/faces don't move (except for minor facial movement and unnatural eye jittering). Certainly better than what I could do, but definitely not from a film crew who have moving footage at their disposal.
 
just a heads up for those interested in the BBC Doctor Who Proms
Monday 6th September 2010, 20:30 on BBC Three
Saturday 11th September 2010, 17:25 on BBC HD
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Doctor Who returns to the Proms with a new show hosted by the stars of the series - Karen Gillan (aka the Doctor's companion Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (aka Rory Williams) and featuring a special guest appearance by Matt Smith (aka the Doctor). The concert features Murray Gold's music for the television series, including his latest re-imagining of Ron Grainier's classic theme tune performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Philharmonic Choir, soloists Yamit Mamo and Mark Chambers, and conducted by Ben Foster. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, specially-edited sequences from the most recent series, a host of monsters laying siege to the Royal Albert Hall and a new scene written especially for the Proms by Steven Moffat and featuring the Time Lord himself, this is an intergalactic musical adventure like no other.
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original site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tq7bh
 
ok, a while back i made a post about a project centered around the Time War concept that has been hinted at during the tv series. after months of writing and planning, i've posted the first installment of the storyline. subsequent entries will mostly depend on the feedback i get. i don't want to bog down this thread with anything that people aren't going to read.
just be warned, this is my first attempt at fan fiction and its not perfect. i'd greatly appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism.

just a few story notes. i've not figured out all the character names yet and this is written very much with the Eighth Doctor in mind. The Story is set just before the Time War and obviously takes place a few years after the Eight Doctor TV Movie (i'm thinking of something like 15 years or so).

anyway enjoy!
Flames erupted from around the centre console, barely struggling to regain his composure the Doctor looked up. his eyes meticulously scanning the surrounding area. Only moments ago the picture in his mind had been very different. There had been a slight disturbance in the chrono-matic field and it had taken him mere moments to adjust the controls of the TARDIS to dodge the disturbance.
Of course all hell broke loose then, whatever had happened resulted in a shockwave that played havoc with his TARDIS' systems. He patted the control panel in front of him, "there, there old girl. whatever it was, can't have been that-" the control panel exploded in front of him. "...bad." the Doctor finished.
He looked around him, the flames in the TARDIS weren't confined to the control room. it was everywhere. Whatever had caused this had been so sudden that the Cloister Bell didn't even have time to ring out. Now it was ringing out. Not because it was time to take battle stations but more likely there weren't any stations left. He knew what that meant. 'Explosive temporal decompression' The TARDIS was losing its shape. If he didn't land the TARDIS soon and allow it to materialize then there wouldn't be much of him left to fill a coffee cup.
Moving around the flaming control panel, he desperately pulled at levers. He pulled down a display screen looking at the readout. It confirmed his fears. The TARDIS was losing shape. He needed to land and he needed to land now. The Doctor could hear the pained groans of the TARDIS crystal at the centre of the control panel. He knew he didn't have long.
Pulling out his sonic screwdriver he immediately put it to good use and bringing power back to some of the control systems. He knew it was a long shot but he didn't have much choice. His task was made more difficult with the TARDIS being rocked around. Its shape falling, it was trying to move through time and space with the grace of a Dalek juggernaut. Eyes glancing over the levers he knew he was running out of time before...
"Success!" he yelled out, pumping his fist into the air. The unmistakeable sound of the TARDIS materialising filled the destroyed control room. Jumping over the handrails circling the control panel, he dashed to the doors at the edge of the control room. "Come on!" he shouted. "I didn't want a tan this much!" There was a giant thud and the entire room rocked to one side, it caught the Doctor unaware and he fell through the doors and rolled out onto the ground outside.
Standing up and dusting himself down he muttered to himself. "Well they say about a good landing is the one you walk away from..." his voice trailed away as he noticed that there 2 red dots on his jacket. He looked up to see two human figures both with guns right at him.
"Who the fuck are you?!" one of them asked, obviously a female.
"oh bloody hell" the Doctor muttered to himself.

The Lost Civilization, Part 1
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"Easy there, I just happened to pass by." The Doctor said in a pleasing tone. To the girl it sounded condescending. "Do you take me for a fucking retard!" she said back at him. "Name, rank and serial number!" she demanded of him.
"How about you point those guns down." The Doctor asked of them, pointing them away from his chest gently. "So uncivilized." it didn't work, within seconds the guns were aimed back at him.
"How about you tells us who you are and how you got down here!" The other soldier, a male voice this time asked him, slightly more calm than his partner.
"I'm the Doctor, how do you do?" he said, offering his hand. "Would you like a jelly baby?" a flick of his hand and a jelly baby appeared in his fingers. A magic trick that often helped lighten the situation. Well, any situation before this one.
"A Doctor? we didn't ask for any medical assistance?" The male soldier responded, with a look of disbelief on his face. "Besides, what?s that?" he pointed behind the Doctor. The Doctor looked behind him and saw the TARDIS, except it didn't look like his TARDIS anymore. It still had the appearance of a Police Box but it was like some Van Gogh paining, distorted and at angles.
"That? oh that?s nothing. Just a small disturbance, had to crash land here and let her undergo some repairs." The Doctor said, trying to pass it off but inside his mind he was already trying to understand what had happened to his ship. "Besides, on the subject of here... erm, where is here?" he asked, realising that he was inside a cavern and the only light was coming from a set of portable lights surrounding the cavern.
The two soldiers looked at him with disbelief on their faces. "What do you mean, don't you know where you are?" the girl asked. Stepping into the light allowed him to get a better look at her, she must have been only 20 years old. She looked innocent but in her eyes all he could see was fire. Her black hair tied into a ponytail. 'obviously military.' The Doctor thought to himself. "No, a bit of a hurry you see. had to jump out at the nearest landing that was available."
"Where did you come from?" the other soldier asked, him too stepping out into the light and allowing the Doctor to get a look at him. Whereas the girl was a picture of innocence, the man was old. Military buzz cut and a trimmed beard. He was greying at the temples. Whereas the girl obviously knew how to handle a weapon, the man despite his age looked like a newcomer.
The Doctor raised his hands. "How about you take me to your leader?" a small smile on his face.
The girl lowered her weapon. "Fine." she answered walking up to him, before he could do anything she put the butt of her weapon to his face. The Doctor was instantly out and fell to the floor. "Lets take him to the Professor." she said to her team mate.

The Doctor awoke with lights in his eyes, he groaned for a second. "Ah your awake." a voice said from behind him. The Doctor sat up and let his eyes adjust to the room. "Nice welcoming party you have here, you might want them to hold back on the rough stuff though. Might hurt your hospitality rating."
"They told me that your a medical professional Mr?" The voice said, the Doctor turned around to see an elderly man approaching him with the aid of a walking stick.
"No, I?m the Doctor. Nice to meet you." He replied, offering his hand again. "Have a jelly baby, except for her." he looked over at the girl solider. "You can't have one." he rubbed his jaw. The girl rolled her eyes.
The elderly man picked up the jelly baby and tasted it, his face immediately lighting up. "I do apologise for Miss Myers, she was hired to be our chief of security and she takes the responsibility a bit too much." The elderly man waved off the other security soldiers in the room. Myers immediately voiced her disproval. "You didn't find a weapon on him did you?" Myers confirmed his question. "Then for now we shall treat him as our guest." the man replied. Walking past Myers, the Doctor stuck out his tongue at her. She looked at him with contempt.
"I am Professor Deacon, I would welcome you to my home but since this is it. A simple greeting would have to do." Deacon offered his hand which the Doctor gladly shook.
"Ok, first things first, where is here?" The Doctor asked, noticing that the small room looked like it had been built in a hurry and almost looked like a campsite.
"Well the technical term for it is Asteroid XV-426. But the media likes to call it Deacon's Folly." The man replied. The Doctors face remained at a form of surprise for a few seconds. "On a asteroid?" he repeated.
"Yes, I have spent most of my life searching for this asteroid. It practically ruined me. Of course when I found it I had to get help in order to reach here and set this base up." Deacon replied smiling.
"But shouldn't we be... you know... choking on the ground because lack of air?" The Doctor said, mimicking oxygen deprivation. Deacon chuckled for a few seconds. "No, there are oxygen generators dotted around this part of the asteroid. we set up fields to hold back the vacuum of space. we are very safe."
The Doctor smiled. "Humans, always pushing the envelope of scientific discovery." He felt like hugging someone but the look on Myers and her partners face said that he'd probably end up getting another blow to the head.
"So why here and why this asteroid?" The Doctor asked, returning to the topic. "I mean there are plenty of asteroids in the galaxy. Why this specific one and why spend so much time looking for it."
"Because this wasn't always a asteroid." Deacon responded, the Doctor's eyes lit up at the mention. "This was once part of a planet. that was home to a civilization that walked our universe while Earth was still cooling off." Deacon stood up and began walking to the door.
"Really, did you find anything to confirm this theory." The Doctor turned around, following Deacon to the door. "You could say that." Deacon responded opening the Door.
Beyond the Door lay a giant statue, one that was obviously not of a human or some animal that he was familiar with. In fact it didn't look like anything he had seen before. "I'm a bit of a expert at Xeno-biology, do you mind if I have a look?" Deacon waved his hand in a approving gesture.
The Doctor through the door and approached the statue. Touching his hand over it, he could tell it was made of a material and it was ancient, beyond ancient. "Just what are you and where did you come from?"
Deacon walked up behind him and pointed over his shoulder. "Probably from their city." Behind them Myers pulled a switch and in front of them a entire cityscape burst into view. the Doctor stood up in surprise at his view, he had seen many things but this was beyond him. "What?!" he yelled at the top of his voice.
He looked down at the foot of the statue and saw markings. "We think its their language. we've been trying to decipher it since we found the city." Deacon answered, noting the Doctors interest. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver only to hear the clicks of guns behind him. he turned around to see Myers and her partner both aiming their guns at him.
"Its not a gun, it just makes click-click noises and helps me see." The Doctor answered waving the screwdriver at them. A nod from Deacon made them lower their weapons. The doctor immediately knelt down and waved the screwdriver over the markings.
He immediately stood upright, with a expression of fear on his face. "What is it? Do you know it?" Deacon asked him. "No." The Doctor answered. "I can't read it." Deacon shrugged his shoulders. "No matter, we'll crack it some day." he said walking away back to the room.
"No that?s not it." The Doctor answered, turning around. "My device, the thing you two stooges found me in front of." he said, pointing at Myers and her team mate. "It deciphers and translates all languages and writings in existence."
Myers responded coldly. "Maybe its broken."
"No." the Doctor answered quickly. "If it was broken I?d know about it." He looked over at the city. "Whoever these people are... or were. They're older than me and my TARDIS. Older than the Time Lords themselves."

...to be continued.
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Doctor Who fans will be able to use a Sonic Screwdriver for real on Wii and DS this October. Yes, BBC Worldwide has got together with Blue Ocean to produce a special Sonic Screwdriver Wii Remote based on the Doctor's device. There will also be a DS stylus modelled on the screwdriver while accessory packs will feature official artwork of the Doctor and Amy Pond. The accessories will launch in October. As for the games, Doctor Who: Return To Earth will be released for Wii this Winter along with Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth for DS. Current Doctor Matt Smith will lend his likeness to the game, as will his sidekick Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan. The two will take part in brand new storylines created by the Doctor Who production team
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original article: http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=19702
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god dammit i definately want!
 
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just a heads up for those interested in getting the series 4 specials soundtrack.
Silva Screen have delayed the release of Doctor Who - The Specials, the latest in the line of music from the television series, by two weeks, giving a new release date of Monday 4th October. The set will feature music from the gap year specials. It has also been revealed that two additional tracks, The Cyberleader Runs Amok and Never Too Old To Shoot And Fly, will be available exclusively on iTunes to buyers who buy the whole album as a download bundle.

Talking about the release Composer Murray Gold said "This collection is a bit different to the previous releases on Silva Screen. It?s a double CD, of course, and the tracks are drawn from four stories. Previously a single episode has had, at most, three tracks. This time, we linger somewhat longer, and there?s perhaps more a sense of passage through the stories. In some ways, it?s a more conventional soundtrack, with less zipping about through styles. We could have compressed everything onto a single disc, but Silva Screen offered to put out a double. It seemed the better route."
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found at: www.doctorwhonews.com
 
Doctor Who: The Adventure Games Scores A Second Season
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With the first three episodes downloaded more than 1.6 million times and a fourth episode on the way, the BBC reveals plans to continue the groundbreaking Doctor Who: The Adventure Games with a second season in 2011.

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games has been a tremendous success for the BBC and developer Sumo Digital, not only giving gamers a way to connect with the 11th Doctor and his companion Amy Pond outside of the television series, but also giving a large number of non-gaming fans their first taste of PC gaming.

"Given the success of the first series, we'd be daft not to recomission," says Simon Nelson, head of multiplatform in vision, BBC. "But it's not just about the numbers; the feedback we've had has been overwhelmingly positive. Our audience has been introduced to a new form of drama - and, for many, these have been the first computer games they have downloaded. We've set new standards in audience participation - and we think we've really helped push the concept of families actively playing together. I can't wait to see what the team does next."

Perhaps this series is a harbinger of things to come. One day many of our favorite television shows could have interactive gaming elements that tie directly into the continuity that glues us to the screen every week.
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original article: http://kotaku.com/5642841/doctor-who-the-adventure-games-scores-a-second-season

EDIT: Slight bit more info

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The BBC has recommissioned The Adventure Games for a second series, due to be released next year.
Series One of The Adventure Games has been a great success with over 1.6 million downloads so far. Three parts of the four part story have so far been released, with the final part due out later this year.
UK players can download the game free of charge from the BBC official site ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/theadventuregames ) while users outside the UK can purchase and download the game from Direct2Drive ( http://www.direct2drive.com/2/9642/product/Buy-Doctor-Who:-The-Adventure-Games ). The new series will be developed by the same team with Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth Willis and Anwen Aspden producing and it will be developed by Sumo Digital.
The BBC?s head of multiplatform in vision Simon Nelson told MCV "Given the success of the first series, we'd be daft not to recomission. But it's not just about the numbers; the feedback we've had has been overwhelmingly positive. Our audience has been introduced to a new form of drama ? and, for many, these have been the first computer games they have downloaded. We've set new standards in audience participation - and we think we've really helped push the concept of families actively playing together. I can't wait to see what the team does next."
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Do Americans get to see this stuff - Dr. Who, Sherlock etc.? Just wondered.

I Loved Sherlock btw - bloody brilliant.
 
Both Doctor Who and Sherlock get shown over at BBC America. Obviously they aren't as popular as they are over here, but the still have quite a following. :D

EDIT: Correction, Sherlock will be shown in PBS this autumn.
 
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Casting News
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The official Doctor Who site has confirmed that former Coronation Street star Suranne Jones has been cast in the role of Idris in the third episode of the 2011 series of Doctor Who. Jones is best known for playing the role of Karen McDonald in ITV1's soap over a period of four years. She has also appeared in the detective drama series Vincent, and on the West End stage in A Few Good Men opposite Rob Lowe. Other roles include the London based black comedy, Dead Clever. In autumn 2007, she toured the UK in the play Terms of Endearment and she has recently appeared in a number of plays for BBC Radio 4. In January 2009, she appeared in Unforgiven, a three-part drama on ITV1, where she plays Ruth Slater, a woman released from prison after serving a 15-year prison sentence for the murder of two policemen. Last year Jones appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures episode, Lisa's Revenge playing the Mona Lisa.
The third episode, which started filming this week is written by Neil Gaiman who said
"Suranne is marvellous. She's beautiful, funny and strange. It's the kind of role that people will remember forever, so we needed someone who was able to pull that off, and to keep up with Matt Smith. And bite him. Suranne does all three."
Jones talked about how excited she was to be given the role. "As an actor, it's hugely exciting to be cast in Doctor Who. I'm a massive fan of the show and I was blown away when I read Neil's script and uncovered what's in store for my character. I'm sworn to secrecy so viewers will just have to wait until next year to find out any other juicy details!"
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and now the big news
September has seen the Doctor Who production crew busy filming the Mark Gatiss-penned storyline for the fourth episode of next year's series. Principle photography has now completed for the first episode to be recorded, undertaken over the last sixteen days at three main locations - the bulk of which has been outside of Wales!
Week commencing 6th September saw the crew filming at a private location, Pembroke House in Pontcanna, Cardiff; this was followed a week later with filming in the more public National Trust property Dyrham Park; and finally last weekend moved to the very public Waring House estate in Bristol where many fans and professional photographers were in attendance!
This episode is also the first to enable fans to interact with the director through the social communication tool Twitter! Fans have been able to follow production snippets during the course of the shoot, and also view a few photos of the filming process reminiscent of the BBC's WhoSpy from the early series.

The following sections may contain spoilers for the episode, so as always only read them if you wish to know more about the episode.

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